One year of Blogging

So, we've been blogging a whole year now! Woo-hoo! The blog is pretty much the same as it's always been, though I added a few new sidebars recently (see right). There is now a list of categories, so you can search the blog for posts under certain "labels", like parenting, or pictures of the kids. I also made a list of my favourite posts from the blog, some fun memories from the last year.

A year ago all of 4 people checked the blog and now my ramblings reach many more of our friends and family. I am thinking of anonomyzing the blog due to its growing readership, so that our real names won't be in the blogosphere for the whole world to read. So if you arrive one day to find you don't recognize anyone on utica avenue, don't be scared, we're still here, but with cool nicknames!! Please feel free to email me with any suggestions for our aliases!!

It's Mother's Day tomorrow and so here is a list of the 10 best things about being a mom and having these particular children of mine...

1. My kids have great bed-head. I let them keep bed-head all day long in fact. They don't mind and they look cute.

2. I can sit alone in the living room on the floor and in less than a minute someone will be sitting on me. It's like an orbit, or magnetism or something.

3. Saturday night is sleepover night at our house. Saturday nights Maymuna bunks with us and we cuddle all night. When Hafsa is older she can have a night too. I can't wait.

4. I have a family that is content to let the dishes pile up so that I may sit on the floor and play a little longer... I like that. Playing way more important than dishes.

5. I have a daughter who just buckled herself into one of the suitcases sitting open on the floor. Then she called for help saying she was "a little buckle-y over here". Her manner of speaking is something I love. Most people think she's quiet, but in fact she talks all day. If you're quiet, she will speak.

6. We make up songs for each other. Here is the latest one:

"I have a SONG and it goes like THIS,
Hafsa Nur I want a KISS!!"
then the rest of us attack her with smooches.
Fun stuff.

7. My kids have great, no-holds-barred, shrieky laughs. When tickled my girls erupt, overflow and gurgle with laughter. Sometimes you're lucky and get a little snort too. There's nothing like it and I need my fix everyday.

8. Morning snuggles with a baby. Just like when Maymuna was a baby, Hafsa comes into our bed first thing in the morning to nurse and then we spend sometimes a whole hour just playing and cuddling in the bed. This sometimes puts us late for starting the day, but oh man, there's nothing like rolly-polly baby wrestling first thing in the morning. Whatever resentments I had about waking up disappear.

9. Maymuna is becoming a breakfast person. Maymuna used to hate eating in the morning. It's always been my favourite time of the day. Lately though, she and Ozayr make a giant breakfast for everyone and we all sit down together and dig into toast and cereal and yoghurt and tea. It's wonderful.

10. They let me out once in a while. Sunday mornings my husband and children set me free for a little "me-time". Honestly I would not get through the week without it. During the week I don't feel resentment over the things that I wish I were doing instead of laundry or cooking. Instead I think to myself, hey, I'll do that on Sunday. I save up all that reading or writing I wanted to do and head for the local coffee shop bright and early Sunday morning. Somehow only 2 or 3 hours refreshes me and by the time I get into the car to come home I can't wait to feel those little hands around my neck, can't wait to kiss their little noses, or hear their chattering talk. The greatest part about leaving is coming back.